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12/25/2013
Airbus solution to lost luggage (video)
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US malls: holiday shopping season (video)
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12/15/2013
Uruguay legalizes marijuana (video and article)
Uruguay, a country of 3.3 million that is one of the most liberal in Latin America, has become the first nation to legalize the production, sale and smoking of marijuana, - a pioneering social experiment that will be closely watched by other nations debating drug liberalization.
Cannabis consumers will be able to buy a maximum of 40 grams each month from licensed pharmacies as long as they are Uruguayan residents over the age of 18 and registered on a government database that will monitor their monthly purchases.
When the law is implemented in 120 days, Uruguayans will be able to grow six marijuana plants in their homes a year, or as much as 480 grams, and form smoking clubs of 15 to 45 members that can grow up to 99 plants per year.
Registered drug users should be able to start buying marijuana over the counter from licensed pharmacies in April.
The bill gives authorities 120 days to set up a drug control board that will regulate cultivation standards, fix the price and monitor consumption.
Uruguay's attempt to curb drug trafficking is followed closely in Latin America where some regional leader see the legalization of some narcotics as a possible way to end the violence spawned by the cocaine trade.
Rich countries debating legalization of pot are also watching the bill, which philanthropist George Soros has supported as an "experiment" that could provide an alternative to the failed US-led policies of the long "war on drugs".
Uruguay's leftist president, Jose Mujica, defends his initiative as a bid to regulate and tax a market that already exists but is run by criminals.
"We've given this market as a gift to the drug traffickers and that is more destructive socially than the drug itself, because it rots the whole of society," the 78-year-old former guerrilla fighter said.
President Mujica has yet to convince a majority of Uruguayans that it is a good idea. According to a recent opinion poll by Equipos Consultores, 58 per cent of Uruguayans oppose legalizing pot..
Critics say legalization will not only increase consumption but also open the door to the use of harder drugs than marijuana, which according to government statistics is used by 8 per cent of Uruguayans on a regular basis.
"Competing with drug traffickers by offering marijuana at a lower price will just increase the market for a drug that has negative effects on public health," said Senator Alfredo Solari of the conservative Colorado Party.
"This development in Uruguay is of historic significance," said Ethan Nadelmann, founder of the Drug Policy Alliance, a leading sponsor of drug policy reform partially funded by Soros through his Open Society Foundation.
"Uruguay is presenting an innovative model for cannabis that will better protect public health and public safety than does the prohibitionist approach," Nadelmann said.
The International Narcotics Control Board, which oversees international treaties on drugs, has warned that the law violates the Single Convention of Narcotic Drugs, adopted in 1961 by Uruguay and 185 other countries.
But following decades of drug-related violence throughout Latin America, a number of former leaders from the region have endorsed the plan.
Senator Roberto Conde, of the ruling Broad Front, insisted that the law will do nothing more than recognize what is already happening around the country.
'Marijuana is the illegal drug that is most consumed, fundamentally by young people, one that is perceived as extremely low risk and is easily obtained,' he said.
The government has accompanied the law with a publicity campaign featuring the slogan, 'All drug consumption has risks.'
DRUG LAWS AROUND THE WORLD
The Netherlands is well known for its liberal policy on cannabis, and the capital Amsterdam is full of 'coffee shops' where residents and tourists can smoke weed, although production is still illegal.
The Netherlands, Canada and Israel have legal programs for growing medical cannabis but do not allow cultivation of marijuana for recreational use.
Switzerland, Spain and Canada are among the many other states where the drug has been decriminalized for personal use, with official efforts directed against dealers and producers instead.
Last year the U.S. states of Colorado and Washington both voted to make the sale and use of marijuana legal - however, as it is still banned under federal law, the long-term functioning of the states' laws are uncertain.
In addition, 18 other American states allow the use of medical marijuana.
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Xmas miracle = Good marketing + Technology (video)
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Mandela tribute (Video)
A South African chain store has laid on one of the most
touching tributes to Nelson Mandela in the form of a flash mob.
Woolworths teamed up with the Soweto Gospel Choir, who posed as shoppers and store workers at the Parkview store in Johannesburg. The choir then began a rendition of Asimbonanga [We have not seen him], a song written during Mandela's incarceration as a call for his freedom.
Asimbonanga [we have not seen him]
Asimbonang' uMandela thina [we have not seen Mandela]
Laph'ekhona [in the place where he is]
Laph'ehleli khona [in the place where he is kept]
Asimbonanga
Asimbonang 'umfowethu thina [we have not seen our brother]
Laph'ekhona [in the place where he is]
Laph'wafela khona [in the place where he died]
Sithi: Hey, wena [We say: hey, you]
Hey, wena nawe [Hey, you and you]
Siyofika nini la' siyakhona [when will we arrive at our destination]
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12/08/2013
Amazon's drones (video & article)
Amazon.com is testing drones for future deliveries, CEO Jeff Bezos said on the CBS TV news show 60 Minutes Sunday.
The idea is to deliver packages as quickly as possible using the small, unmanned aircraft, through a service the company is calling Prime Air, the CEO said.
Bezos played a demo video that showed how the aircraft, also known as octocopters, will pick up packages in small yellow buckets at Amazon's fulfillment centers and fly through the air to deliver items to customers 30 minutes or less after they hit the buy button online at Amazon.com.
The company is currently testing a drone model with a range of 10 miles that can handle products under five pounds, which is nearly 90% of the company's offerings.
However, putting Prime Air into commercial use will take some years. Amazon must develop the technology further and wait for the Federal Aviation Administration 's rules and regulations.
Bezos estimates the service will be running in four years.
"One day, Prime Air vehicles will be as normal as seeing mail trucks on the road today," the company said.
This is the latest futuristic effort by Bezos, who was an e-commerce pioneer in the 1990s and more recently popularized the e-reader — while pursuing personal projects such as private spaceflight and a 10,000-year clock built inside a mountain.
"We'll be ready to enter commercial operations as soon as the necessary regulations are in place," Amazon said Sunday. "Safety will be our top priority, and our vehicles will be built and designed to meet commercial aviation standards."
edited from USA Today
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The idea is to deliver packages as quickly as possible using the small, unmanned aircraft, through a service the company is calling Prime Air, the CEO said.
Bezos played a demo video that showed how the aircraft, also known as octocopters, will pick up packages in small yellow buckets at Amazon's fulfillment centers and fly through the air to deliver items to customers 30 minutes or less after they hit the buy button online at Amazon.com.
The company is currently testing a drone model with a range of 10 miles that can handle products under five pounds, which is nearly 90% of the company's offerings.
However, putting Prime Air into commercial use will take some years. Amazon must develop the technology further and wait for the Federal Aviation Administration 's rules and regulations.
Bezos estimates the service will be running in four years.
"One day, Prime Air vehicles will be as normal as seeing mail trucks on the road today," the company said.
This is the latest futuristic effort by Bezos, who was an e-commerce pioneer in the 1990s and more recently popularized the e-reader — while pursuing personal projects such as private spaceflight and a 10,000-year clock built inside a mountain.
"We'll be ready to enter commercial operations as soon as the necessary regulations are in place," Amazon said Sunday. "Safety will be our top priority, and our vehicles will be built and designed to meet commercial aviation standards."
edited from USA Today
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12/01/2013
A giant Louis Vuitton's headache (article)
President Vladimir Putin's administration spoke out in favor of removing a gigantic Louis Vuitton suitcase on Red Square on Wednesday, following public outcry about its placement in the historical heart of the Russian capital.
The installation, which blocks the view of the Spasskaya Tower, the Kremlin walls and Saint Basil's Cathedral from certain angles, was intended to honor the 120th anniversary of the GUM department store, located across from the Kremlin, with a six-week exhibition of Louis Vuitton's luggage.
Proceeds from the exhibition were going to be donated to the Naked Heart Foundation, a children's charity founded by Russian model Natalia Vodianova, who is dating the son of Bernard Arnault, the CEO of Louis Vuitton MoСt Hennessy.
Despite the good intentions behind the pavilion, Muscovites did not appreciate its presence on Red Square. Both the Kremlin and opposition parties, factions that rarely agree on anything, are united by their disgust with the infamous suitcase.
Outrage began as workers completed the installation on Red Square on Tuesday. By Wednesday afternoon, they began dismantling the structure
Several Communist deputies criticized the Kremlin for allowing the suitcase — which is 9 meters tall and 30 meters long — to be set up on Red Square.
"This is a sacred place for the Russian state," said Sergei Obukhov, a member of the Communist Party Central Committee. "There are some symbols that cannot be trivialized or denigrated."
Ordinary Russians apparently share Obukhov's feelings about the unique nature of Red Square, which was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1990.
"This is an embarrassment for our country," said Ruslan, a Moscow pensioner who enjoys taking midday walks through Red Square. "We sell ourselves to everybody. All we think about is business, business, business," he added, frantically waving his arms at the giant Louis Vuitton suitcase.
According to the Communist Party's website, a group of deputies sent inquiries to Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev for clarification on how the suitcase ended up on Red Square in the first place.
Mikhail Kusnirovich, the primary shareholder in Moscow's GUM department store, said the government gave all required approvals for the exhibition to take place on Red Square.
Louis Vuitton explained in a statement that the suitcase also had historical ties to Russia, claiming that the gigantic trunk was modeled after luggage that belonged to Prince Vladimir Orlov, a cavalry officer close to Tsar Nicolas II. However, Louis Vuitton's history lesson failed to convince Russians of the intrinsic value of 19th-century luggage.
"I am against the commercialization of historical places," Alexei Pushkov, a United Russia deputy, said in a telephone interview. "There are many other places in Moscow where a giant suitcase would garner interest without causing public outrage."
Gorky Park and the All-Russian Exhibition Center are now potential candidates to host the Louis Vuitton exhibition.
"Anywhere but on Red Square" seems to be the common theme of the complaints.
For some, the square is a sacrosanct place of worship. It is home to St. Basil's Cathedral, whose multicolored domes serve as the iconic image of Russia abroad and is also a burial site. Lenin rests beside the despised suitcase, which is six meters longer than the Soviet leader's mausoleum. The Kremlin Wall Necropolis, a few steps from the Louis Vuitton trunk, is the resting place of Soviet dignitaries and heroes, including Yuri Gagarin and Leonid Brezhnev.
"The problems caused by the Louis Vuitton suitcase fits into the framework of pseudo-patriotic hysteria and anti-Western sentiments in Russian society," said Vladimir Slatinov, a political analyst at the Institute for Humanitarian and Political Research. "It is difficult to imagine that this could have happened two or three years ago."
The "J" - Kawasaki 's futuristic motorcycle (video)
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